Harley riders coming together for Hospice Home

By Don Bolden / Times-News

Published: Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 12:46 PM.

There were other ways in which this could have played out, but I cannot imagine one that would be more helpful and considerate of the family than spending those last days in the home under the care of kind and loving nurses.

And there have been other experiences in the past with Hospice that have also contributed to my being that shameless promoter.

The bike show is a way for the public to help the home provide those services, and also a way to have fun if you are into Harleys.

This is a big deal for the Harley owners, their biggest fundraiser of the year. Owners pay a $20 registration fee with a direct donation to Hospice.

Those bikes will be sparkling and in the best condition possible. The owners are competing for prizes, of course. And they win those prizes based on the amount of money their bike attracts. In front of each bike will be a container for donations, and the three bikes that attract the most donations win trophies — and this is done in several classes.

The winners receive various trophies, and then there is a huge trophy for the most money raised by a single bike. Visitors can toss money in the containers, or they can write checks to the Hospice League of Alamance/Caswell and get a tax deduction.

In addition, the HOG Chapter will give special trophies for the Best HOG Member Bike, Best Paint, Best Chrome and several other awards, again in several classes of competition. In all there will be more than 80 trophies presented in the event.

From time to time, you will see something in this space promoting some event that raises funds for the local Hospice Home.

I admit it. I am a shameless promoter of Hospice and its home on Chapel Hill Road. That organization provides a service like no other, a service that enables people to leave this life in the most comfortable manner possible — not only for the individual but for the family as well.

So I am here today to tell you that the annual All Harley Bike Show is set for Holly Hill Mall on next Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 15 and 16. This is the 20th year for the show, and the local HOG (Harley Owners’ Group) has raised more than $250,000 in those years. HOG and Downhome Harley-Davidson co-sponsor the event.

The timing of the show this year is a bit ironic, as in the past weeks I have had an up-close experience with the Home with two family members and a longtime friend having spent their last days there. I was in and out a number of times and came away each time feeling that the Hospice Home is a very special place that provides outstanding care, compassion, concern and love to people when it is most needed.

Again, all that applies not only to the patient but to the family as well.

I went by late one afternoon to check on the brother-in-law, John Truitt. He had been there almost a week, and his time was near. As I looked in on him, the lights were quite low, and from somewhere came the quiet strains of pleasant and soothing music.

It was a scene as peaceful as one could imagine. Early the next morning, he was gone.

There were other ways in which this could have played out, but I cannot imagine one that would be more helpful and considerate of the family than spending those last days in the home under the care of kind and loving nurses.

And there have been other experiences in the past with Hospice that have also contributed to my being that shameless promoter.

The bike show is a way for the public to help the home provide those services, and also a way to have fun if you are into Harleys.

This is a big deal for the Harley owners, their biggest fundraiser of the year. Owners pay a $20 registration fee with a direct donation to Hospice.

Those bikes will be sparkling and in the best condition possible. The owners are competing for prizes, of course. And they win those prizes based on the amount of money their bike attracts. In front of each bike will be a container for donations, and the three bikes that attract the most donations win trophies — and this is done in several classes.

The winners receive various trophies, and then there is a huge trophy for the most money raised by a single bike. Visitors can toss money in the containers, or they can write checks to the Hospice League of Alamance/Caswell and get a tax deduction.

In addition, the HOG Chapter will give special trophies for the Best HOG Member Bike, Best Paint, Best Chrome and several other awards, again in several classes of competition. In all there will be more than 80 trophies presented in the event.

It is really a big deal for them.

But while the owners like to win trophies, they are more concerned about getting donations for the Hospice Home.

The Hospice League was formed in 1989 with Faye Boswell pushing the effort to support a Hospice Home. The house and the lake in front were purchased from the Thompson sisters, who had lived there many years. The home was opened in 1994 with six rooms. The idea was to provide a place where individuals could spend their last days in comfort and peace with the best of care.

Since then the home has grown to 22 rooms — all private — and more than 4,000 people here have been served. More than 4,000!

Not only is attention given to the patients there, but to the families as well. There are comfortable sitting areas, places where families can gather, and everything is pleasant and geared to meeting the needs of people in perhaps the most difficult time of life.

By visiting the Harley show, you get to see some of the finest machines on the road today, but you also will come away with the feeling that you are helping make it possible for area individuals, maybe friends or neighbors, to experience all the love and care possible as they leave us.

Don Bolden is editor emeritus of the Times-News. His column appears every Sunday. He can be contacted at DBolden202@aol.com.